Council Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 (repealed)Show full title

Article 111 Suckler cow premium

1. A farmer keeping suckler cows on his holding may qualify, on application, for a premium for maintaining suckler cows (‘suckler cow premium’). It shall be granted in the form of an annual premium per calendar year and per farmer within the limits of individual ceilings.

2. The suckler cow premium shall be granted to any farmer:

(a) not supplying milk or milk products from his farm for 12 months from the day on which the application is lodged.

The supply of milk or milk products directly from the holding to the consumer shall not, however, prevent the premium being granted;

(b) supplying milk or milk products the total individual quota of which, as referred to in Article 67 of Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007, does not exceed 120 000 kg.

However, Member States may decide, on the basis of objective and non-discriminatory criteria which they determine, to change or waive the quantitative limit, provided that the farmer keeps, for at least six consecutive months from the day on which the application is lodged, a number of suckler cows not less than 60 % and of heifers not exceeding 40 % of the number for which the premium was requested.

For the purposes of determining the number of eligible animals under points (a) and (b) of the first subparagraph, whether cows belong to a suckler herd or to a dairy herd shall be established on the basis of the beneficiary's individual quota for milk available on the holding on 31 March of the calendar year concerned, expressed in tonnes and the average milk yield.

3. The farmers' entitlement to the premium shall be limited by the application of an individual ceiling as defined in Article 112.

4. The amount of the premium shall be set at EUR 200 per eligible animal.

5. Member States may grant an additional national suckler cow premium, up to a maximum of EUR 50 per animal, provided that no discrimination is caused between stockfarmers in the Member State concerned.

As regards holdings located in a region as defined in Articles 5 and 8 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 of 11 July 2006 laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the Cohesion Fund(1), the first EUR 24,15 per animal of this additional premium shall be financed by the EAGF.

As regards holdings located throughout the territory of a Member State, if, in the Member State concerned, the cattle population has a high proportion of suckler cows, representing at least 30 % of the total number of cows, and if at least 30 % of the male bovine animals slaughtered belong to conformation classes S and E, the EAGF shall finance the additional premium in total. Any overshoot of these percentages shall be established on the basis of the average of the two years preceding that for which the premium is granted.

6. For the purposes of this Article, only heifers belonging to a meat breed or born of a cross with a meat breed and belonging to a herd intended for rearing calves for meat production shall be taken into account.

(1)

OJ L 210, 31.7.2006, p. 25.